Huế, the former imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) is located about 700km south of Hanoi and about 1,100km north of Hồ Chí Minh City (formerly known as Saigon). Huế's famous landmarks include Sông Hương (Perfume River), Truong Tien Bridge, and the formidable Citadel.
We took the "sleeping bus" to Huế, about 80km from Da Nang. The journey took us three hours. The "sleeping bus" has three rows of upper and lower bunk-beds. It's a pretty cool experience.
Thai Binh II Hotel - after checking in and oohing and aahing non-stop at the gorgeous room setting, we went out to hunt our way to the Citadel.
To get into the Citadel, we passed through the Thuong Tu Gate, one of the eight gates of the complex and formidable walled city built by the kings of the Nguyen Dynasty. The Citadel is now undeniably one of the most preserved ancient structures in Huế.
This is the Flag Tower opposite the massive Ngo Mon Gate, the entry into the Imperial City where the ancient Nguyen Dynasty's families lived and ruled for a few generations.
Our entrance tickets to the Imperial City.
The main sights as stated behind the ticket are Ngo Mon Gate, Thai Hoa Palace, Ta Vu House, Huu Vu House, Royal Theatre, Dien Tho Residence, The Mieu, Hung Mieu, Hien Lam Pavilion.
This is the Ngo Mon Gate that leads to the Imperial Palace. This massive, formidable gate once served as the observation point for the Emperor to review his troops and for ceremonies.
This is my favorite structure - the stunning gate to Dien Tho Residence.
Dien Tho Residence once housed residences and audience halls for the Queen Mothers of the Nguyen dynasty. There's also an enchanting pleasure pavilion and a lily pond.
Phoenix on walls created with colorful ceramic pieces. Stunning!
This is Dong Ba Market, the largest market in Huế.
Follow this tag to read earlier blog posts about our honeymoon trip. :)
Posts
No comments